Maybe I missed something. Or maybe I’m not taking this serious enough. Not only is the Vatican adding “ruining the environment” to the list of mortal sins, but the Southern Baptists are now actively taking a stance to stop global warming. 46 key members of the SBC criticized their denomination for being too timid when it comes to global warming. They say their passivity comes across as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed to the world. They should add that their stance against homosexuality comes across as uncaring; their stance against abortion comes across as reckless; and their stance against female clergy is ill-informed (all according to the world). Since when do we worry about how the world views the Church. The Church doesn’t belong to the world, it belongs to Jesus Christ. We should be worried what HE thinks about it. Once again, maybe He is worried how we’re viewed by the alarmists that are the global warming crowd. Maybe I have it all wrong. And as for the Catholic Church adding “mortal sins” willy-nilly, what more can you say. It’s the Catholic Church. If you follow the link and read the article, it sounds like they’re more concerned about their confessional rates plummeting. Maybe this is a way to draw more people in?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Global Warming...again
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Inconsistent?
Bobby Cutts Jr. admitted to killing his girlfriend and their unborn baby girl. He was convicted of aggravated murder of the unborn fetus and was convicted of plain old murder in the death of his girlfriend. The aggravated murder charge could cost him life in prison if not his own life (death penalty).
My question: How can he be guilty of killing an unborn baby and face capital punishment for it, if we are completely permitted (and encouraged in some cases) to abort (kill) an unborn baby with the aid of a doctor or “medication”? I know this isn’t the first instance of someone being charged with murder for the death of a (wanted) fetus, but this story got me thinking about it again.
We bumped this question around at work a bit today. Two of the guys I work with agreed with the complete nonsense and inconsistency of this. The last guy spun the conversation to promote his opinion on the abortion issue (he’s never shy about voicing his opinions). “I believe they should just draw a line and name the date that a child can live outside the womb without a bunch of wires and hoses. Anything before that date is acceptable.” The problem is naming a date that everyone could agree on. Knowing that development isn’t fully complete until the last couple weeks; does this mean that abortion should be legal until the 36th to 40th week? And not every child develops at the same rate. I reminded him of our baby that was born in September that didn’t make it. Babies are born frequently at his age and go on to live very normal lives. How is a doctor to know what kind of support a child will need before the birth? Some assumptions can be made, but to allow this to be the deciding factor of life or death of a child is horrendous at best. It’s been proven time and time again where a doctor, after some fancy test, states that a child will be born laden with disease and disability, only to be proven wrong at the delivery.
Any admitted Pro-Choice supporter should be outraged that this man is being charged with aggravated murder for the death of his unborn daughter. This shakes the very foundation that they stand on. If this was indeed a living baby in his girlfriend’s womb, and not a blob of tissue as Pro-Choicers would have you believe, then every aborted fetus, too, is a living life and should be fought for. Every doctor performing abortions and every nurse assisting should stand the same trial as Mr. Cutts.
Where is the consistency?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The 21st Century Christian
Michael Pearl from Eight Kingdoms: The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
America's "Pastors"
1 Corinthians 1:18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Aren't we clever? We can make up little skits and prepare nice, helpful messages and bring thousands into the church building. Because we're bringing thousands into the church building, how many of those are true converts? How many are added to THE Church? How many are walking in truth and holiness? We may have several thousand on our roll, but how many are listed in the Lamb's Book of Life? I guess it's not for us to know here and now. I do know that the Lord adds to THE Church...not man. Man just packs the building.
I've seen and heard a lot of America's Pastors lately saying things that are completely un-Biblical. They are redefining “spiritual” or theological words; claiming other ways to salvation apart from Christ alone and even making statements that God is completely happy with who you are and how you live (this last statement made to a crowd of non-believers). I don't argue that men like Rick Warren and Joel Osteen (the two I've seen most) aren't highly energetic, persuasive people. I don't argue that they are not talented people. I wouldn't even argue that they haven't helped thousands of people find better lives for themselves. But to market themselves as preachers of the gospel? This is heresy! Motivational speakers? Certainly! Self-help teachers? Sure. Humanistic teachers? Absolutely. They are teaching humanism in the highest form.
As they continue to water down the gospel, saying that you can simply add a Jesus to your life that's completely satisfied with who you are in your current state of sin and that he wants to reward you with prosperity, they are changing the face and heart of Christianity for the world to see. It's obvious why we are being mourned for by churches in persecuted countries. They are redefining words like sin (now it's like a candy coated cereal treat; not really good for you, but completely acceptable), holiness, sanctification and on and on. Those who only drink from this well will continue to thirst.
As the above passage states, when we bring our wisdom to the table, it is true foolishness. When our marketing geniuses develop a ploy to pack the seats, it's utter nonsense to the One who sacrificed Himself for our sins. How does Jesus feel when we change His message...His story. When we feel we need to massage the gospel so that it's not as offensive? This is the most cherished, loving and merciful message ever! God has given us the recipe to change lives. He has given us the words to speak. We have the power of God. So why do we come up with catchy themes, shocking language and giveaways (seriously, I saw where a church was giving away two 52” flat screen TV's just for showing up for church; another church up here gave away a pick-up truck last year). I'm convinced that it's not our jobs to get people into our buildings by any means necessary. I believe it's our job to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit motivate to change lives. Let the Lord add to THE Church. As for these hirlings, they have made and continue to make a mockery of the church and the sacrifice that Jesus made.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Back By Popular Demand
Another weather report!
Because my wife loves to hear about the weather up here, here’s another installment. We got clobbered again yesterday. We had a minimum of six inches on the ground all over and drifts up to three feet deep that we had to shovel this morning. Schools again were canceled. This additional snow is on top of the 20-25” base that we already had on the ground. While my son and I were vigorously shoveling this morning, my wife popped her lovely head out the door. I was waiting for “Boy, you guys are sure doing a great job!” Instead, I heard “They’re calling for another seven inches today…you’re wasting your time”. Talk about taking the wind out of your sails. She pulled her head back inside before I could sock her with a snowball. We finished up shoveling and I made it to work.
Quick Stats:
Snow to date this season: 127” (that’s over 10 ½ feet)
Deviation from normal: -.8”
Snow depth (on average): 20”
We also had the running of the UP 200 this weekend. This is a shorter version of the Alaskan Iditarod. The dog teams left downtown Marquette, MI between 7:10pm and 8:00pm in two minute intervals on Friday night. They mushed to Grand Marais, MI and returned to
I do have other posts in the works. It’s just a matter of getting the time to pull them out of my head and onto the keyboard. I had to get this one done, though. Not only does my wife love living in this frozen tundra, she loves to hear about it.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
From the Desk of Mike Farris
This letter was forwarded to us by friends of ours. We are not currently part of the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) but are big fans of their service/ministry. If you are a home school family, you’ve at least heard of HSLDA. They are a reputable organization. After a few articles that I’ve read lately (here’s one and here’s another just to link two), I don’t think this is just an unsubstantial paranoia about the future/direction of this country and government. Read through the letter and, if you feel this is a justifiable cause, follow the link and sign the petition.
| February 7, 2008 Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: I am writing to you today about obtaining permanent protection for our rights as parents. For nearly 25 years, HSLDA has focused on defending the right of parents to home educate their children. We have met with great success in this effort, and we have seen God’s hand of blessing on thousands of families as the homeschooling movement has progressed. After all, this movement was built upon the firm belief that parents possess a God-given right to direct the upbringing and education of their children. And I know that you’ll agree with me in saying when that right is under fire, we must do whatever we can to protect it. Parental Rights are in Jeopardy A “perfect storm” that could literally demolish the rights we value so deeply is approaching on the horizon. If these threats persist, we could soon be looking at the demolition of the parental role, and an upsurge of government intrusion in family life. Even though parental rights are recognized as a fundamental right under current Supreme Court doctrine, there are two threats to the recognition of this principle. The Threat from the Federal Courts Today an increasing number of Supreme Court justices refuse to recognize that parental rights are a fundamental right. In the 2000 case of Troxel v. Granville, only four of the nine Supreme Court justices expressly agreed that the Constitution “protects the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the care, custody, and control of their children.” Two of these justices—then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor—have since left the Court. Even Justice Antonin Scalia, a noted conservative, holds that parental rights are not judicially enforceable at all until there is a specific parental rights provision in the Constitution. The Threat of International Law Even as the recognition of parental rights is fading within the federal courts, international law which diminishes parental authority is approaching possible ratification. The growing use of international law in American courts offers a frightening glimpse into the future. If the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) becomes binding on this country, then parental rights as we know them will be erased. This international treaty provides for the government to define what is in the “best interests of the child,” supplanting the parent as the ultimate decision maker. Moreover, if the UNCRC is ratified, all state laws which recognize the right to homeschool will be superseded by international law if international tribunals or American courts think that such education is not in the “best interest of the child.” We would do well to remember the example of There is Only One Solution I am convinced that there is only one solution to this attack on the child-parent relationship: We must amend the Constitution to permanently secure the rights of parents. The Parental Rights Amendment is the only way to protect and preserve the rights of parents to make key decisions for their children, as well as to direct their upbringing and education. The only way that we can accomplish this goal is to gain the nationwide support of millions of parents like you. We need to raise our voices to safeguard the child-parent relationship. And we need to be organized and vocal so that Congress will listen. It’s the The battle for parental rights will be the fight of our lifetime. That’s why I am turning to you for support as we launch this vital campaign. The process of amending the Constitution is both long and challenging. Our goal is to have a substantial number of Congressional co-sponsors before the Parental Rights Amendment is even introduced. Ultimately the amendment requires final approval of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Once passed by Congress, the amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states. We Need a Groundswell of Support As you can see, passing the Parental Rights Amendment is not going to be easy. But it is completely possible. If we can find 10,000 people within each congressional district who are willing to contact their congressmen and senators on this issue, then we can gain a favorable response from most members of Congress. We are referring to these individuals as Citizen Co-sponsors. Our goal is to find 10,000 Citizen Co-sponsors in at least 80% of the congressional districts in the country. While this number may seem daunting, it is clearly attainable. In fact, if each HSLDA member recruits 40 people to become Citizen Co-sponsors by signing the petition, we will reach this goal. The bottom line is this: we need a groundswell of support and activism from our HSLDA members. That’s why I am asking you to do two things right away. 1. Join ParentalRights.org You can become a Citizen Co-Sponsor simply by signing the petition for parental rights on ParentalRights.org. But I am asking you to take this one step further. I am challenging you to join the campaign. With a gift of $25 or more, you can become a member of ParentalRights.org. There are two reasons why we urgently need your financial support. The first and most obvious reason is that building the infrastructure to secure a Constitutional amendment requires a substantial amount of money. Second, under existing federal law we can only send detailed information about the political implications of this effort to dues-paying members. Therefore certain communications will only be given to our dues-paying members rather than those who have only signed the petition. 2. Get your friends and neighbors involved I’m asking you to enlist your friends and family to visit ParentalRights.org, and encourage them to join the campaign. Our user-friendly Tell a Friend application enables you to upload email addresses from your address book, and easily inform friends of the importance of the campaign. Growth is essential during the early stages of this effort, and that support needs to start now. We need grassroots support from dedicated parents in all 50 states to ensure the smooth passage of the amendment. I firmly believe that the homeschooling movement is the key to victory in this massive effort. We’ve come a long way in the last 25 years… but there is so much more ahead. I’m challenging you to join the fight today. Sincerely, Michael P. Farris |
| The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of:
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Monday, February 11, 2008
Sin is still Sin
In a letter written to her son, John Wesley, Susanna penned the following regarding sin:
"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself."
-- Susanna Wesley (Letter, June 8, 1725)
John Wesley's own working definition of sin (although he did write that all transgressions of divine will need God's forgiving grace): "A willful transgression of a known law of God"
These two definitions are so opposed to what many hear being taught directly from the pulpit today. We had a bit of a discussion in Sunday School class this weekend regarding the fear of the Lord. I mentioned that the reason “churched” people and those in the ministry alike are getting caught up in sin and luke-warmness is the lack of fear of the Lord and lack of relationship with Him. If you are close to someone, it hurts you to even think of hurting them. How then can we so easily thumb our noses at God and go on living our lives for ourselves without an ounce of shame or guilt? We have either never drawn close to God, or have drawn ourselves away from God after being close to Him.
How do you resolve guilt? Either cut off the act that is causing your conscience to feel guilty (sin) and make it right with Him that you’ve offended, or you flee from Him that was offended and suppress the guilt feelings. The further away you are from God, the easier it becomes to offend Him.
Just my thoughts…
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Another UP Weather Update
/O.CON.KMQT.WW.Y.0001.000000T0000Z- 080130T1800Z/
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MARQUETTE HAS CONTINUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY...WHICH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON.
EXPECT NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 45 MPH THIS MORNING TO DROP WIND CHILLS TO 25 TO 35 BELOW ZERO AND CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. PLAN ON REDUCED VISIBILITY AS LOW AS ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES IN OPEN AREAS. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO 15 TO 25 MPH THIS AFTERNOON...MODERATING WIND CHILLS TO 15 TO 25 BELOW AND DIMINISHING THE BLOWING SNOW.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT SNOW...STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW... AND LOW WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES...AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.
Yesterday they were calling this a blizzard warning; the third this season. And the snowfall for this winter…106.7” to date. All schools and colleges were canceled this morning. That’s pretty impressive for the UP.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Make My Life a Prayer to You
I first started listening to Keith Green in high school with my brother and friend. I appreciated his musical talent, but frankly, at that time in my life the music wasn’t hard-core enough so I ditched it. After I reeled in my “wild oats”, I came back to his music and began to appreciate it for its message of holiness and no-compromise; something I certainly was NOT looking for in high school. Keith died in a plane crash in 1982, before I’d even heard of him. His music is still as meaningful today as it was when it was written, in a time of “spiritual journeys”, drugs, mysticism and the Jesus movement. If you’ve never heard of him, you no doubt have heard his music. Hymns such as “O Lord, You’re Beautiful” and “There Is A Redeemer”, as well as many choruses sang in churches and Sunday Schools. His life account is recorded by his wife, Melody, in her book “No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green” (1989). Although I don’t always agree with his theological stance, you have to admire his passion and zeal. I recommend the book. It’s an easy, quick read. Parents, you may want to read it before giving it to your teens. It’s not vulgar or profane, but it does describe life in the sixties and seventies (sex, drugs and rock-n-roll). If you think that he was just another contemporary Christian musical artist just singing words with little or no meaning, read his book. Any long-time readers of “sheep and goats” know that I quote his music from time to time. Here’s another one of my favorites of his.
Make My Life a Prayer to You
By: Keith Green
Make my life a prayer to You
I want to do what You want me to
No empty words, no white lies
No token prayers, no compromise
I want to shine the light You gave
Through Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair
It comforts me to know You're really there
Well, I want to thank You now for being patient with me
Oh, it's so hard to see when my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust and just believe what You say
Oh, You're coming again, coming to take me away
I want to die and let You give Your life to me that I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
The love that set me free
I want to tell the world out there
You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head
You're God the Son, You've risen from the dead
I want to die and let You give Your life to me that I might live
And share the hope You gave to me
I want to share the love that set me free
Friday, January 11, 2008
Not So Funny Now
"How do you even function in conditions like that?" you may ask. Let me tell you. It's with this: (see photo)
That's right! This is called a Yooper Scooper. This is one of the best tools invented, next to the toaster. Be warned though. This may not work so well in all parts of the country. The snow we get in the UP is light and fluffy. Yeah, I know. Isn't all snow light and fluffy? Not like our snow. Our snow is very "dry" and powdery. An inch of our snow would weigh a fraction of what an inch of Northwest Ohio snow would weigh. To prove my point. After an eight inch snowfall here in northern Michigan, I can run my Yooper Scooper the length of the driveway piling and pushing all eight inches of it the full length of the driveway (maybe 30 feet in length). I can have the whole drive cleared in less than an hour with orders of magnitude less exhaustion, stress and strain on my body. If you want to order one and try for yourself, they were designed and are built right here in the UP. Website is here. And I've seen these used on roofs also.Next important item is the snow tire. They make a huge difference on icy and snow covered roads. And if you can't afford snow tires and your all season tires still have good tread, try tire siping. For a nominal fee, most tire shops up here will sipe your tires. They have machines that will actually make thin cuts across the treads of your tires. This is proven to provide more traction on icy and snowy roads. Never heard of such a thing until we moved up here. Yoopers seem to be pretty practical. When we get a few years of UP living under our belts, maybe we'll invest in a "plow-truck", also very common up here. Most are circa 1970's trucks with nice plow blades on the front.
All in all, I can't complain. We do live on the side of a hill that has a substantially inclined road to access our driveway. And we have had instances where we couldn't get our vehicles up the road. We actually have a place at the base of the hill where we can park and hike up to the house (1/4 mile maybe). Only until a township plow truck comes along and plows and sands/salts the road (which may take a couple days). I just recently put snow tires on my car and I haven't had the opportunity to try them out on a decent snowfall yet. Maybe my hiking days are over! It's all a part of learning how to deal with a new environment. You adapt and adjust. And we'll survive. Oh, and we're supposed to get more snow this weekend.
